''Copernicia alba'' is a

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n species of

palm tree The Arecaceae () is a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are colloquially c ...

, which is found in the

Humid Chaco The Humid Chaco ( Spanish: ''Chaco Húmedo'' or ''Chaco Oriental'') is a tropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in South America. It lies in the basin of the Paraná River, covering portions of central Paraguay and northern Arge ...

ecoregion in

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(in the states of

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and

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) and

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(especially the

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, and less abundantly towards drier areas). They often, but not always, form dense single-species woodlands. Its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

show the various colours (and technical qualities) that the trunk takes according to its environment: ''palma blanca'', ''palma negra'', ''palma colorada'' ("white", "black", and "red" palm, respectively). In Guaraní, it is called ''caranday'', "water palm". Its English trade name is wax palm or caranday wax palm (it belongs to the same

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

as the Carnauba wax palm).

Description

''C. alba'' can reach 25 m in height and 40 cm in girth. The trunk is cylindrical, rarely bifurcated, and has a grayish trunk with a smooth surface in adult specimens. The leaves are persistent, grouped at the apex of the trunk, and measuring between 40 and 70 cm. The inflorescence is almost 2 m long; the flowers are hermaphroditic, about 4 mm long, with a tubular yellowish green corolla, and arranged in a spiral pattern. Each flower has three ovaries, of which only one develops into a globular fruit, a dark pulpous berry that contains a light-brown, 12-mm-long ovoid seed. Young specimens have a lightweight semihard wood, which becomes hard and heavier in mature individuals, reaching a

relative density Relative density, also called specific gravity, is a dimensionless quantity defined as the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for solids and liquids is nea ...

up to 0.92. This wood finds its main use in telephone and electrical line poles.

Uses

Ancient peoples in

used wax palm for making

candles A candle is an ignitable candle wick, wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a Aroma compound, fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. ...

by scraping away wax on the leaves. In

, ''C. alba'' is currently studied for its suitability as a

biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...

oil crop.

References

*''Libro del Árbol: Especies Forestales Indígenes de la Argentina de Aplicación Industrial'' (edited by Celulosa Argentina S. A., Buenos Aires, October 1975) {{Taxonbar, from=Q2718997

alba ''Alba'' ( , ) is the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland. It is also, in English-language historiography, used to refer to the polity of Picts and Scots united in the ninth century as the Kingdom of Alba, until it developed into the Kingd ...

Trees of Argentina Trees of Bolivia Trees of Paraguay Trees of Brazil Trees of Colombia Humid Chaco